Unified communications (UC) is a commonly used term for the integration of disparate communications network, media, devices and applications. This potentially includes the integration of fixed and mobile voice, electronic mail, instant messaging, desktop and advanced business applications, Internet Protocol (IP)-PBX, voice over IP (VoIP), presence, voice-mail, fax, audio video and web conferencing, unified messaging, unified voicemail, and whiteboarding into a single environment offering the user a more complete and seamless communication solution, thereby providing a more effective and simplified experience.
The convenience offered by combining these disparate communications techniques into a single UC framework, however, also heightens the associated security risks. If a single UC device is compromised, then the entire UC framework may be exposed as well. Consequently, authentication techniques are typically implemented to enhance security for UC systems. Such authentication techniques, however, typically require some form of security credentials to be present on the UC device. Installing security credentials on some UC devices may be cumbersome, particularly when UC device has limited forms of input devices, such as a keypad on a digital telephone.
It is with respect to these and other considerations that the present improvements have been needed.